Start Shopping for Christmas Now

July 13, 2011

TweetChristmas in the 90’s was like Spendapalooza. But things changed at the end of the decade, when I became a SAHM in 1999, and I simply could not afford the insanity anymore. We were on a budget and I was determined not to go back into the credit card debt I’d escaped a few years [...]

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Sacrifice is Nothing But a State of Mind

July 11, 2011

TweetMy husband came into our marriage with a Ford Escort LX (he told me to be sure not to leave off the LX). It was his first car, and the first day he had it, some jerk dinged it in a parking lot and left behind a big dent. Unable to pay for the damage, [...]

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Vacation on a Budget

July 10, 2011

TweetDo you think we should just skip it this year or is there a way to go away inexpensively? A: Hotels are one of the most expensive parts of going away. So, instead of spending your hard earned cash on hotel accommodations, try swapping houses with someone or renting a vacation house on the cheap. [...]

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The Day I Was Born…

June 4, 2011

TweetMy dad has told me the story of the day I was born many times, but today he emailed me the highlights and I am so happy I now have a written record of my birthday. Our parents have the incredible gift of holding our earliest memories. If they never have written them down for [...]

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Mother’s Day Gift

May 2, 2011

TweetEvery year in early May we get to celebrate one of the most wonderful holidays of the year…Mother’s Day. My kids are giddy with the projects they are making in school and are whispering about the surprise breakfast they are planning on making me. Having four kids, I am blessed many times over. However, not [...]

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How to Make Money Online

April 28, 2011

TweetMy husband Shawn recently started up a free resource called the Extra Money Answer that covers the steps to get a website started and then making money from it. That’s something he’s been doing to earn some of our income since 1997. This site takes people from the point of coming up with an idea [...]

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All Dogs Go to Heaven

April 7, 2011

TweetWithin six weeks of getting married, Shawn and I decided to adopt our first baby. We went to North Shore Animal League and fell in love with a mutt we decided to call Mickey Mantle Collins. She was the sweetest little pup you’ve ever seen. She passed all the puppy disposition tests the dog book [...]

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One on One Time

April 5, 2011

TweetFinding time to be one on one with my four kids is not always easy. Shawn and I used to take turns going on dates with the kids every weekend. However, with activities, parties, errands and church it doesn’t always work out. So, I’ve decided to get creative. Caity goes to school later than everyone [...]

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Money Isn’t Everything

March 1, 2011

TweetMy latest article on the Money Minded Moms site is up now and it’s about how money isn’t the end all and be all. I talk about how some of the happiest people I have ever met live in a small town in Spain. They live in tiny apartments, have no cars and wear the [...]

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Time is Money for Moms

February 26, 2011

TweetMy latest article on the Money Minded Moms site is up now and it’s about how my “to do” list goes on and on and is never quite done. When people hear that I have four kids, two dogs and work part-time, I often hear, “I don’t know how you do it!” Well, I don’t [...]

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